(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid drain apparatus for incorporation within a counter top useful in, for example, laboratory and hospital work areas.
(2) Brief Description of the Prior Art
Work surfaces incorporated into furniture and other areas in laboratories and hospital environments and also provided as tops for storage facilities and the like, are exposed to many abrasive solids and liquid chemicals of varying potential hydrogen ("pH") readings. They must thus be designed and manufactured to be capable of withstanding exposure and contact with acids, bases, various medicinal components, and numerous chemical compositions, as well as resisting exposure to both high and low temperatures, in extremes, and numerous combinations of gaseous and solid components. Quite frequently, these tops for work areas receive spill-overs or spillage from containers used for testing, mixing, or the like.
Prior art tops have simply provided a work area which has disposed therein a drainage receptacle, such as a conventional sink or the like, with the possible inclusion of hot and cold water outlets for placing the water into the drainage receptacle, resulting in the laboratory top surrounding the drainage receptacle having to be cleared of chemical liquid residual by means of usage of towels and the like which may incorporate a chemical cleaner either in the towel or a towel being used in combination with such cleaner, of conventional and commercial known composition and availability.
Moreover, such prior art and conventional laboratory tops often times do not have any upwardly extending outer edge, resulting in accumulated liquids being able to be easily and inadvertently caused to run down the sides of cabinetry or be dropped or spilled onto the floor in an area around the drainage area, sometimes resulting in the floor becoming very slippery or otherwise being a cause of accidents and injury to human safety, as well as property loss, such as damage and rotting to cabinet works. Even when such conventional laboratory tops do have an outer edge upwardly extending wall, such walls are at a substantially vertical relationship to the horizontal lower surface resulting in an approximate 90.degree. angle at the intersection between the upwardly extending wall and the lower surface. This angled relationship between the wall and the lower surface may result in splashing of sensitive chemicals, such as low pH acid solutions which have collected on the counter top onto clothing of technicians working in the laboratory or, even more seriously, onto hands and other skin areas of humans.
In the particular environments within which the present invention is contemplated for use, it can be expected that the drainage fluid discharged through the liquid drain apparatus will include not only tap water but acid and basic chemicals of varying concentrations as well as medicinal liquids, atomic trace chemicals, and the like, each of which may also include solid particulate matter which, if permitted to completely pass through the drainage assembly into a discharge conduit or sewer line could cause corrosion, clogging or otherwise have a deleterious impact.
The present invention addresses and provides a solution to such problems so typical of prior art counter tops and drainage assemblies.